GOP presidential hopefuls criticize Obama for Paris attacks

ORLANDO, Fla. — Several Republican candidates for president on Saturday accused President Obama and his former secretary of state, Democratic Party front-runner Hillary Clinton, of failing in the fight against Islamic State militants as the terrorist attacks in Paris became a focal point of the nomination race.

Carly Fiorina, the former tech CEO, criticized the Obama administration for the “murder, the mayhem, the danger, the tragedy that we see unfolding in Paris, in the Middle East, around the world and too often in our own homeland.”

“I am angry that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton declared victory in Iraq in 2011, abandoned all of our hard-won gains for political expediency and contrary to the advice of every general that spoke with them, thus leaving vast swaths of territory and too much weaponry to be gobbled up by ISIS,” Fiorina told those at the Sunshine Summit, a political gathering of Florida Republicans.

Jerome Delay/AP

A man looks out the bullet ridden windows of the Carillon cafe in Paris after the terrorist attacks.

Donald Trump, appearing at a rally in Beaumont, Texas, said the Paris attacks would have been “a much, much different situation” had the victims been armed with guns. He said the U.S. should be more aggressive against IS and called the United States “insane” to accept any refugees from Syria in the wake of the Paris attacks.

In an interview with Fox News, Sen. Marco Rubio responded to the attacks by saying: “This is a civilizational war. This is a civilizational conflict. This is not a geopolitical grievance that these people have with us. This is, basically, they believe the entire world needs to believe in what they believe in, or you die.”

In Florida, the sharp criticisms of the Obama administration and calls for changing its military strategy against Islamic State militants came as French officials reported that coordinated gun-and-suicide bombing attacks across Paris had left at least 129 people dead and 352 injured.

Andrew Harnik/AP

President Barack Obama walks to Marine One on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base to travel to Antalya, Turkey to participate in the G-20 Leaders Summit starting Sunday as he begins a nine-day trip to Turkey, Philippines and Malaysia. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Carly Fiorina criticized the Obama administration for the “murder, the mayhem, the danger, the tragedy that we see unfolding in Paris, in the Middle East, around the world and too often in our own homeland.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich said ISIS must be destroyed with a coalition of U.S. allies because the attacks in Paris were an attack against Western civilization.

“Action is required. Time is of the essence. Negotiations, ambivalence or delay are not acceptable,” Kasich said.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie recalled the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and said he’s afraid that Americans have forgotten the fear and risk they felt afterward.

“We have seen evil visited upon innocent people once again,” he said. “Our outrage must turn into action and resolve.”